Vincent Wingfield is the son of a wealthy Virginian planter. When the country goes to war, he enlists in the cavalry, and sees action under the various generals commanding the army in and near Virginia. He has several private adventures as well, including a personal enemy, prison escape, rescue of a young lady, spying expedition, and recovery of a stolen slave. He rises in rank in the Confederate army, and after the war is over, he marries and returns home to manage his mother's plantation.

Henty in this book gives an overview of the causes of the Civil War, and follows the battles and movements of the army in Virginia and the surrounding area. The issue of slavery is discussed several times from the viewpoint of an Englishman who detested the institution, but saw that most slaves on large plantations were well treated. While not an an exhaustive work, With Lee In Virginia covers the main generals (Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Grant, McClellan, Sherman, Pope, etc.) and the most important battles of the war in an interesting and instructive format.